Women in Civil Society: The State, Islamism, and Networks in the UAE PDF
Preview Women in Civil Society: The State, Islamism, and Networks in the UAE
Women in Civil Society This page intentionally left blank Women in Civil Society The State, Islamism, and Networks in the UAE Wanda Krause WOMENINCIVILSOCIETY Copyright © Wanda Krause, 2008. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2008 978-0-320-60956-3 All rights reserved. First published in 2008 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the US - a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publish- ers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above com- panies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-37613-1 ISBN 978-0-230-61575-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230615755 Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication data Krause, Wanda. Women in civil society : the state, Islamism, and networks in the UAE / Wanda Krause. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Women—United Arab Emirates—Social conditions. 2. Muslim women—United Arab Emirates—Social conditions. 3. Women in Islam—United Arab Emirates. 4. Sex role—United Arab Emirates— History. 5. United Arab Emirates—Social conditions. I. Title. HQ1731.5.K73 2008 305.48'697095357—dc22 2008017987 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Westchester Book Group. First Edition: October 2008 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C o n t e n t s Acknowledgments vii 1 Women in Civil Society: Key Issues in the Middle East 1 2 Civil Society and Rentierism? Challenges to the UAE Woman 27 3 Rentier Governmentality: Activism in UAE Women’s Organizations and Clubs 47 4 Women and Islamist Politics: Activism in Islamic-Oriented Associations 91 5 Women’s Activism through Networking 143 6 Women in Civil Society: Prospects for the UAE 189 Appendix 197 Notes 205 Bibliography 233 Index 257 This page intentionally left blank A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s T his book would not have been possible without the generous help of several people in its preparation and writing. I am most grateful to the women and men who allowed me to interview them and their trust and faith in my work. In various ways, people allowed me into their own personal lives. Such an invitation and acceptance enabled me to be immersedin the struggles, desires, aspirations, and worldviews. It is my hope that this work adequately exposes what they struggle to achieve. My appreciation is extended to all experts and informants, aca- demic and nonacademic, some of whom are not mentioned, due to sensitivities, but who, nonetheless, equally provided me with insights, suggestions, and links. I am grateful to several faculty members at the United Arab Emirates University who guided me at the initial stage ofthis project. Faculty members at the American University of Sharjah were also helpful. Of those who offered continuous support, I would like to thank especially Sharla Musaibeh (winner of the 2007 National Women’s Day Award), Maitha al-Shamsi, Amna al-Shamsi, Mariam al-Naymi, Maryam Yamani, Dr. Mona al-Bahr, Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, and finally, Dr. Suaad al-Oraimi. This book is developed out of my Ph.D. work. I owe the develop- ment of the ideas to Dr. Salwa Ismail and thank her for patience and continued encouragement. I am grateful to Dr. Kamil Mahdi and Dr. Sami Zubaida for their generous feedback. I am also indebted to Dr.Christopher Davidson for providing feedback and sharing his ex- tensive knowledge on the UAE. I thank an anonymous reviewer for insightful commentary. I extend my gratitude to two of my earlier professors who played an important role in directing my path culmi- nating in this work—Dr. Roger Epp and Dr. Thomas Bateman, and also in my academic journey for playing a big role in developing my ideas—Dr. Janine Clark. I would like to thank, firstly, Lindy Ayubi for her editing and for proofreading through parts or drafts also Michele Moore, Jennifer Moore, Naomi Khan, Melissa Finn, and Marsena Hydes. Among viii Acknowledgments those who helped ease the difficult moments of the research by pro- viding their friendship and encouragement, I would also like to thank Naomi, Hawwa, Mari, Bushra, Jen (also for freely sharing her experi- ence and expert knowledge), and especially Lobna and Melissa for their ear whenever I needed to talk. A few I opt not to mention by name as they were also activists in the field who dealt with highly sen- sitive issues, but I hope they will know their friendship and help is greatly valued. Deep appreciation goes to my parents, Werner Krause and Pam Herdes, for their wisdom, direction, and practical help. Most important in my gratitude is Jasser Auda. His immense patience, support, and encouragement brought me through the most intense stages of this experience to the completion of this book. Finally, I thank Radwa, Omar, Ahmed, and Sarah Auda for all they endured throughout this process. C4h a p t e r 1 Women in Civil Society: Key Issues in the Middle East Basic Goals T his book investigates how indigenous forms of interaction and participation can assist in reaching a broader conception of civil soci- ety and also addresses inadequacies and biases in the application of the civil society concept. It studies the participation of women as a major sector of the population that until recently has remained unac- counted for in mainstream political science. In applying a civil society framework focused on UAE women, the book seeks to incorporate a gendered perspective of marginalized groups essential to the compre- hensive understanding of politics and change. Thus, the question: Does UAE women’s activism play a significant role in the develop- ment of civil society? If so, what does this mean for the civil society concept in explaining this process? As such, this book focuses on the role of women in UAE civil soci- ety. Literature on civil society (usually translated as mujtama madani among Arab intellectuals) in the Middle East and the rentier state conclude that independent groups in the Gulf are unimportant, asso- ciational life is weak, and public space between the family and state is sparsely populated. The UAE represents one of the most comprehen- sive and enduring examples of a rentier state consisting of a tribal elite. The state’s use of its institutions to confine wider public partici- pation in the political process, referred to as corporatist politics, does play a role in frustrating civil society efforts but not always in ways that one might expect when political practice is analyzed beyond state
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